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Mid-Missouri Native Americans gather in Boonville to celebrate culture

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The Harvest Moon Pow Wow returned to Boonville on Saturday for the first time since a two-year sabbatical prompted by COVID-19.

For many who attend powwows, “the world doesn’t matter, time doesn’t matter for some small time; you can take a break and enjoy your family,” said Myrietta Esau, public relations manager for Young Bucks and a Hopi-Nation tribe member.

Powwows are worldwide events designed for people who are Native American to come together and celebrate their cultures. Typically at powwows, vendors set up to sell jewelry, regalia and food. Musicians often perform; men play northern and southern drums, and attendees dance.



Charley Lowery wears his dancing regalia on Saturday at the Cooper County Fairgrounds in Boonville. Lowery, who performed multiple times throughout the day, said he has been dancing since he was “knee-high.”


Olivia Anderson/Missourian

Esau met event coordinator Pam Arth the first year Harvest Moon was held. She said Arth spends the better part of each year on fundraising activities and organizing the event.

“This event wouldn’t be without her,” Esau said. Arth said she begins preparations for each powwow a year in advance.

More than 100 people attended on Saturday, and festivities will continue Sunday. Arth’s stepdaughter, Rhonda Russell, said she thinks it’s the largest turnout the event has ever had.

Esau said she feels a strong connection to many who attend, regardless of blood relation.



Emaila Santiago admires the products of a booth

Emaila Santiago, 4, admires the products at a booth Saturday with Sean Riddell at the Cooper County Fair Grounds in Boonville. Riddell thought he had Cherokee ancestry until a DNA test revealed otherwise, but he still celebrates the culture.


Olivia Anderson/Missourian

“We’re not blood, but we’re a family,” Esau said.

Nicole Miller originally met her husband, Tex, at a Native American gathering in 2007; they’ve been married nine years.

Miller said she loves to teach when she attends powwows, specifically about the ways Americans lived in different time periods.

“This is our background and part of our legacy,” she said. Miller has cerebral palsy and focuses her teaching on self-advocacy, disabilities and Native American culture.

Music and dance

One traditional music group, called Crazy Flute Music, performed throughout the day. The band’s music uses a variety of instruments, including the native flute, guitars, bass guitar, drums and keyboards.

Jack Holland founded the group in 2016 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Holland has attended powwows since he was 12, but this is his sixth year performing.

“This is beautiful because there’s a lot of culture here,” Holland said.



8th Annual Harvest Moon Intertribal Pow Pow

Attendees of the eighth annual Harvest Moon Intertribal Pow Pow watch the gourd dancing Saturday in the center of the Cooper County Fairgrounds in Boonville. Preparations for the powwow were made all year and featured dancing, drumming, vendors and a celebration of Native culture.


Olivia Anderson/Missourian

Participants also performed using northern and southern drums. Attendee Zoe Marion said northern drums are higher-pitched. In contrast, southern drums are more “conversational.”

Southern drums play what’s known as gourd music, which involves rattles constructed from natural gourds. The Gourd Dance, a tradition held at most powwows, has four parts.

Marion said the parts are:

1. We ask the spirits to dance for us.

2. Let’s dance together.

Traditionally, only men are allowed to drum during The Gourd Dance. Women are only permitted to dance behind their husbands. However, Marion said, many women are now allowed to dance without men in front of them. She said her military background allows her to dance alone.



8th Annual Harvest Moon Intertribal Pow Pow

Attendees of the eighth annual Harvest Moon Intertribal Pow Pow watch the gourd dancing Saturday in the center of the Cooper County Fairgrounds in Boonville. Preparations for the powwow were made all year and featured dancing, drumming, vendors and a celebration of Native culture.


Olivia Anderson/Missourian

Certain foods, such as fry bread, are also a large part of Native American culture. At the powwow, some vendors made and sold fry bread on site.

Fry bread was “the biggest staple” in Native American culture, Arth said. “That’s all they had.”

The bread was first created when Native Americans were put on reservations. The government provided tribes with few commodities, usually including rancid flour. With these ingredients, fry bread was made to prevent starvation. The bread remains a large part of Native American culture, Arth said.

Saturday evening, those in attendance had a meal together that included the handmade bread. “We have fun,” Arth said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”



Dolores Woolery makes fry bread.

Dolores Woolery makes fry bread on Saturday at the Cooper County Fairgrounds in Boonville. Fry bread has been a staple food in Native culture, and Woolery has made it for 30 years.


Olivia Anderson/Missourian

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: Boonville

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